IPL 2022: Kolkata Knight Riders – SWOT Analysis
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have a squad of 25 players including 17 Indian and 8 overseas. They had retained four players Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakaravarthy. The franchise spent heavily on Shreyas Iyer as they bought him for INR 12.25 crore and he will be leading the side in IPL 2022. Here is a SWOT analysis of KKR.
Strengths
Buying Shreyas Iyer was the best bit of business done by KKR as he should lead the side for the long term. Their top three of the four consist of the two Iyer’s, Venkatesh and Shreyas and Nitish Rana. These three Indian batters form a good top-order for them and also the mystery spin of Narine and Chakaravarthy still exists.
Weaknesses
Their Indian bowling pace attack looks thin as KKR bought Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi. Pat Cummins, Narine, and Chakaravarthy will get them wickets but a good Indian bowler is what they lack. Yadav has been inconsistent and not a regular starter in IPL matches. Mavi has done well in patches but is young and relatively inexperienced. Another major concern for them is a solid first-choice wicketkeeper as they have roped in Sheldon Jackson and Sam Billings. A popular name in domestic cricket, Jackson has just played four IPL matches so far.
Opportunities
Alex Hales finally got sold in the second round and was snapped up by KKR. Hales has just played six IPL matches so far but his talent is not hidden from anyone as he is one of the most prolific white-ball batters. Opening for KKR might just be the opportunity Hales was looking for as his wait to make a comeback in the England team continues. He will look to provide quickfire starts in the powerplay to KKR along with Venkatesh Iyer.
Threats
After a stellar IPL 2019, Andre Russell endured two bad seasons the following years. From no. 5 to no. 7 looks like a weak link for KKR as Russell, Jackson, and Narine are expected to slot in there. They have Rinku Singh in reserve and Ajinkya Rahane but batting Rahane in the middle-order isn’t a good option. They also have Mohammad Nabi but for that, they will have to leave Hales out and open the batting with Rahane and Iyer.
